Wilkes University Athletics

Following a 34-year career, including 23 serving as Athletic Director, Malatesta left her mark in ways that not many individuals have over her time at Wilkes. Among her most notable honors, Malatesta was the recipient of the Board of Governors Award in 1994, the Ancestral Colonels "Esprit de Corps" award in 2008 and received the Wilkes President's Award for Excellence in 2016. Malatesta has overseen multiple renovations to the University's athletic facilities during her career including the full renovation of the Henry Gymnasium in the Marts Center, Schmidt Stadium and building of Bruggeworth Field at the Ralston Athletic Complex as well as the expansion of the Munson Fieldhouse. Under her guidance, the athletics program grew to as many as twenty-three varsity teams with over five hundred and fifty student-athletes.
 
Throughout her career, Malatesta served as an Operations committee member for the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and a Sports Chair.  At Wilkes, her committee work included the Campus Master Planning committee, the Strategic Planning committee and the President's Advisory committee.  As a member of Senior Staff, Malatesta was on the Student Affairs Case Review team, the Student Affairs judicial committee and served as a Title IX Hearing Officer. Additionally, she was the co-chair of the University's Athletics Hall of Fame committee.
 
Malatesta was the chairperson for the MAC Field Hockey Games committee. She has also served on the NCAA Division III Regional Field Hockey Selection and All-American committees, and had a three-year stint as chairperson of the NCAA Division III National Softball committee. For her dedicated service to the MAC, Malatesta received the 2019 MAC Lou Sorrentino Award, presented to the MAC athletics administrator who has had a sustained and influential role in conference and national affairs and embodies the NCAA Division III philosophy.
 
As the head field hockey coach at Wilkes from 1989 to 2002, Malatesta led the Colonels to a record of 140-113-9.  With Malatesta at the helm, her teams marked eight seasons with 10 or more wins and she is the program's all-time winningest coach. Malatesta was twice named the conference coach of the year, in 1993 as the MAC Coach of the Year and in 1999 as the Freedom League Coach of the Year. She coached multiple players named to National All-American teams and All-Region teams, six conference Most Valuable Player award winners along with 53 total all-conference selections including six All-MAC Northwest League members (1989-92), 35 All-Freedom League members (1993-99), and 12 All-Freedom Conference members (2000-02). The Colonels won the Freedom Conference championship five times under Malatesta in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999 and were ECAC Mid-Atlantic Champions three times in 1993, 1994, and 1996. In 1999, the Colonels finished with an overall record of 14-8, winning the Freedom Conference title and capturing Wilkes' first-ever MAC field hockey crown. During the 1995 season, Malatesta guided the Colonels to the NCAA Division III championships, in a season when the Colonels were ranked as high as 11th in the country.
 
Malatesta also coached softball for five years at Wilkes, guiding the Colonels to a record of 60-52-1 from 1990 to 1994 with appearances in the MAC tournament in 1994 and ECAC tournament in 1992. The 1994 team was 17-6 which was the second most wins in program history up to that point. Malatesta coached 10 All-MAC Northwest League members from 1990-1993 and five All-Freedom League Members in 1994.
 
Malatesta retired from the University in Summer 2023.